Labeling machine



Sept. 25, 1951 R. WEBER ET AL LABELING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4, 1946 l R R E 0 B Y T flc E NR w mew R m5 m 0 A we MM R Sept. 25, 1951 R. WEBER ET AL 2,568,904

LABELING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1946 I 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 g lNVL-NI'OH JAMES 5. GRANT mama/e0 WEBER Q BY mm Patented Sept. 25, 1951 Louisville, Ky., assignors to Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., Shively, Ky., a corporation of In diana Application April 4, 1946, Serial No. 659,498

Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a labeling machine, and more particularly to a picker and gripper assembly for supporting and applying the labels to containers.

In labeling machines of the type wherein a container such as a whisky bottle, having a main body portion and a neck of much smaller size is moved past the rear face of a label-supporting picker, the attempted application of both a label to the body of the bottle and a label, such as a medallion or a neck ribbon to the neck of the bottle, has been unsatisfactory because of the difference in distance between the vertical plane of the body and neck portions and the picker. It has been found impractical to carry the neck by the'gripper label irom'the picker to the bottle neck and still retain satisfactory control of the label. Because of such lack of control in a machine of this type, labels have been applied by hand.

In overcoming the aforesaid disadvantages of the prior art, it is an object of our invention to provide a novel picker and gripper assembly wherein control of the labels applied to any part of a bottle or like container having portions of different dimensions can be maintained.

A further object of our invention is to provide a novel picker and gripper assembly for a labeling machine of the type described wherein the labels to be applied to the several parts of a bottle or like container having portions of different sizes are all brought to a position closely adjacent the surfaces to which they are to be applied to enable control thereof during their application.

A further object of our invention is the provision of a novel picker and gripper assembly for a labeling machine of the type described whereby difierent labels can be applied to portions of a container of difierent sizes, the picker being so .made that all the labels are acted upon by the gripper for substantially the same distance of travel, that distance being at a minimum whereby accurate and positive control of the labeling is insured.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and claims taken in connection with the attached drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a picker embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a gripper assembly employed in combination with the picker of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of the upper gripper of the assembly of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan of a portion of the picker of Fig. 1 showing the roller operating means therefor.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the detail of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the detail of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic showing of the conventional picker and gripper assembly in tion adjacent a bottle to be labeled.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic showing of the picker and gripper assembly of our invention adjacent a bottle to be labeled.

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a half of a modified picker embodying our invention.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6, the picker element is formed of two spaced complemental sections II and [2. Each picker element includes a securing bracket I3 carrying the sections II, I2 which provide adhesive receiving faces I4, the latter having a body-label receiving section l5 adapted to support a large label as of the type applied to the body of a bottle, and neck-label sections I6 adapted to support a small neck label or medallion to be applied to the neck of a bottle. The labels are applied to the sections I5, straddling the middle space. Sections l8 are pivotally mounted on the bracket of the element by a shaft I! secured to sections It to rotate therewith and mounted in a bore through the picker element. Shaft I1 extends through a spring bracket I8 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) secured to the side of the picker element by screws I9, through a collar 21, and a lubricating washer 22, to a crank 23 to which it is fixed as by keying. A cam roller 24 is rotatably mounted on a pin 25 at the opposite end of crank 23 so when the roller is moved forward (clockwise) from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the crank and shaft I! are rotated to move the neck-label supporting sections I6 forwardly from the main face of the picker element. To hold sections IS in their normal flush relation with the main section I5 of posithe picker element, a lug 25' is formed on crank' 23 to engage one end of a tension spring 26, the other end of the spring being secured in a lug 2? on the end of a rearwardly extending projection 28 on lug I8. Normally sections iii are in the position shown in Fig. 1.

In operation, the picker element having a neck label on sections it and a body label on section I5 straddling the middle space is moved to a position adjacent the bottle to be labeled, the picker normally rotating in well known manner about a pivot just above brackets I3 in the direction of the arrow shown in Figurel. Two fixed lugs or cams 30 are provided, one on each side, in the paths of rollers 24 so that as the picker element approaches labeling position, rollers 24 are stopped. Continued forward movement of the picker causes cranks 23 and shaft I! to rotate, and thus pivot neck label sections [6 forwardly from the main face of the picker and positions the two ne'c'k sections closely adjacent the bottle tobelabeled'.

This action can best be understood from the diagrammatic showing of Figs. '7 and 8 wherein a bottle having a main body portion 3 and. a neck N of smaller diameter is shown in plan. The conventional picker with elements I l and I2 and a label L supported thereon. is shown in labeling position adjacent thebottle in Fig. 7; the conventional gripper being shown at G.

While the length of travel of "the label" to'sec-I' tion B of the bottle is relatively short, the distance to neck N, indicated at X, is so long that thegripper cannotmaintain satisfactory control of the neck label and the label cannot be ap-. plied satisfactorily with such a picker.

With the picker of Fig. 1, theoperation is as shown in FigkfBjthe picker sections H and 12, carrying the label L for body B of the bottle, being disposed in"'their normal position while sections l6, bearing the neck label L, are moved forwardly toward the bottle and past elements H and I2 to aposition closely adjacent neck N of the bottle. Thus'gripper element G need only maintain control of the label L through the distance Y, a distance comparable to the normal distance betw'eehlabelL and the body B of the bottle; With this reduction in distance effected by the picker disclosed herein, satisfactory control over the necg labels has been secured and it is thus possible to appl'y them simultaneously with th'e ;body labels.

The gripper assembly" preferably employed with the picker of Fig,v 1 is shown in Figs; 2 and 3 and includes" a bracket 3| for conventional mounting on a support so'that the assembly can be rotated in a manner to pass the grippers between the elements of the picker, a lower gripper 32; and an upper gripper F33. The lower gripper 32 is preferably formed integral with bracket 3| and rises by'fa goose-neck formation to a lug 34 having a frame 35ch'anneled and pivoted thereon at 36, the frame mounting a relatively soft rubber face 31.. A stop .38 is provided to limit the"clockwise motion of the gripper and an adjustable screw 39 to limit the,

counterclockwisemotion thereof, the gripper thus being rotatably adjustable about pivotg36 to the best angle for controlling' the main label.

Plates M are sequr ed to opposite sides of the.

goose neck as by screws 42' to form a s pporting channel for the upper gripper assemblsuthe, latter having its lower end 43' pivoted between. The upper gripper assembly.

neck labels in applying them to the rounded,

necks of the bottles. The. upper gripper is ad-' justable on headf45 by screws 51 and 52, the head being pivotally adjustable on the lower gripper by a screw 53 acting against the compression of a spring 54.

In operation, the lower gripper operates. in a manner well known to the art in passing between the two gripper elements I I and 12 as shown in Fig. 7 and carrying the label L ontothe main body portion B of the bottle and off of the supporting picker. Simultaneously the upper gripper G which is in advance of the lower gripper removes the neck label L from the hinged picker elements I6 and carries it against the bottle neck N. Control of the label is aided by the shape of the face formed on the rubber face of the upper gripper, the application of the label to the bottle neck being facilitated by the U- shaped recess in the face of the gripper and the angular inclination thereof as shown in Fig. 2 which conform generally to the shape and angle of the bottle neck surface.

In Fig, 9, we have shown a modification of the picker elem ent of Fig. 1 wherein the main face of the element 6| is recessed to receive a necklabelsupporting section 62, the latter being, supported in the recess by an arm 63 pivoted on'a hinge pin 64, the outer end of the arm carrying a pin 65 mountinga cam roller 66. Hinge'pin 64 is supported in a lug 61 secured to the side of the picker element and hollowed at 68 to receive a coil spring 69 having its ends secured in recesses in lug 61 and the adjacent section of arm 63. Thus as the picker element is moved to labeling position as already de. scribed in connection with the picker of Fig. 1, camroller 661s actuated by a fixed cam (not shown) to pivot arm 63 0n pin 64 and move the neck-label supporting section 62 forwardly of the main face of the picker element and position the neck label supported thereon immediately adjacent the neck N of the bottle in the position shown in Fig. 8. On return movement of the picker element, spring 69 returns section 62 to the position shown in Fig. 9. In all other respects, the picker element of Fig. 9 is similar to that of Fig. 1, it. being. understood that a. complemental picker element is employed there-. withas with the pickerof Fig, 1.

From the foregoing, it is believed evident that.

we have provided a picker and gripper assemblycapable of satisfactorily applying theneck and mainlabels to a bottle or,like container simul-. taneously, the pickerbeing essentiallysimple in mechanism and operation and requiring no more, attention as regards maintenance than the con ventio'nal picker.

Having described our invention, we claim;

1. An assembly. for. use in .a labeling machine: for applying labels to a bottle or similar container of the, type having a mainbody portion and a neck portion of smallersize, comprising: a pickerincluding two spaced substantially-fiat -faced ele-- ments, each element having a firstlabelrreceiving bottle side of a label for application to the neck portion of the bottle means on said elements to mountsaid seconclsections in. a common plane with said firstsectionsand. in.. a manner to be displaced forwardly of the .flrstsections; means to movev the picker from a labelereceivingposition to a label-applying positionf means to cause the.

second sections to be displaced forwardly toward and adjacent the neck of the bottle when.the picker is moved to a position to apply the label to the main body portion of the bottle,

2. In a labeling machine .for applying, labels to a bottle having a main 'body portion and a neck portion of smaller size, said machine having a slotted picker element for positioning adhesivecoated labels adjacent the bottle, and a gripper adapted to pass through the slot of the picker element for simultaneously applying the labels to the bottle, the improvement wherein: the picker element comprises a pair of spaced plates for receiving the adhesive-coated body label straddled over the space, in position to be engaged by the gripper in its movement between the plates, and a second pair of spaced plates pivotally supported for receiving the adhesive-coated neck label straddled over the space in position to be engaged by the gripper in its movement between the latter plates; and means adjacent the labelapplying position for advancing said second pair of plates relative to the first mentioned pair of plates to bring the label carried thereby closely adjacent the bottle neck whereby the gripper substantially simultaneously attaches the body and neck labels to the bottle.

3. A machine for applying labels to a bottle or similar container having a main body portion and a neck portion of smaller size comprising: a label picker having a first section presenting a face to receive and support a body label straddling a middle slot therein, and a second pair of sections pivotally supported in spaced relation on the first section and adapted to receive and support a neck label straddling the space therebetween; and means at the label-applying position to pivot said second sections relative to the first section to position the neck label thereon in advance of the body label and substantially parallel therewith.

4. A machine as specified in claim 3 wherein said means comprises a stop at the label-applying position to pivot the second sections while the first section advances.

5. The assembly of claim 3 wherein means is provided to return the label-receiving faces of said sections to substantial alignment when said picker is not positioned closely adjacent the bottle.

RICHARD WEBER. JAMES E. GRANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 998,664 Woodland July 25, 1911 1,178,608 Weiss Apr. 11, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS Number t Country Date 664,871 Germany Sept. 7, 1938 

